Top Aquarium Sump Mistakes You Don't Want To Make! But Do You Even Need One?

Whether it's a DIY sump for your reef tank or a pre-manufactured saltwater tank sump, mistakes happen. We've installed a TON of sumps and have made TONS of bonehead mistakes along the way, so learn from our facepalm moments and don't make the same mistakes on yours.
There's a MOUNTAIN of reefing mistakes we've made and shared! Check out all of them below.
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The content contained in this video is general information on the topic and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information or safety advice for this project or topic. Each product or situation is different and has its own concerns related to successful completion and safety that must be fully researched by the individual considering the project or product. The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages.
00:21 Missing the Value of a 40 Breeder or 20 Long
01:04 Filling The Entire Area Under The Sump
02:16 Getting a Sump That’s Too Big To Get Out
03:32 Deciding If You Want Filter Socks
04:59 Deciding If you Want a Rollermat
06:28 Assuming Silicone Attaches To Acrylic
07:48 Missing Aquamesh as a Baffle
09:12 Not Being Aware of Issues With Using Glass
10:59 Not Deciding On a Refugium Right Now
12:12 Not Accounting For The Amount of Drains
13:41 Not Planning For How Many Returns
15:07 Putting Heaters in the Return Pump Area
15:57 Not Realizing That The Sump Is Not High Flow
17:23 Clear Sumps Are A Lot Easier To See Inside Of
18:17 Dark Sumps Are A Lot Harder To See Inside Of
19:31 White Sumps Hide Salt Creep But Not Detritus
20:53 Not Thinking About Glass or Rimless Sumps
22:08 Not Looking For Sump Options w/ Large Areas
23:34 Not Having an Adjustable Baffle
24:32 Not Planning For Amount of Water Draining Into Sump

[@cmoore806]

Every time I watch you two my wife asks me, “are you going to watch Wayne’s World all night?” YES! Party time, excellent! Schwing

[@ryan.maccallum8213]

Great video as I'm currently looking into sumps , thanks for the great information as always 👍

[@Gro2healthheirlooms]

I upgraded my 18 trigger cube to the trigger 36 sump from BRS and I love it.

[@boj4klayman919]

Designed a sump in a 29, really wanted to make it perfect, the filter sock compartment is always at the same height due to baffles, the refugium has a beautiful tumbling action and my last baffle works wonders as a bubble trap, it's maximum flow is 500gph before water starts going where it's not supposed to, but I designed it for a 20 long so it doesn't even need to handle that much

[@StNovaSt]

I dose into my crash box. Turbulent flow even in a low flow sump. I also painted the outside bottom of my glass sump white, just to see detritus.

[@sdavey10]

That was great, many thanks. Just taken delivery of my 4ft GLASS breeder, and I'm going to install just a couple of baffles, one glass just before the return section, and an acrylic one to hang my Clarisea on, at least then, if I move away from the roller filter I can remove the baffle.

[@tonyy33055]

I did #12... big mistake.. but noticed b4 it got bad.. great video info...

[@sportmodel220]

I love the artwork on the walls! Oh yeah, very informative video 👏👏

[@scatpack1381]

Nice info once again.👍

[@kosys5338]

I own that Trigger Sapphire 34 sump on the table. I bought it from BRS, gotta say I love it. It is an awesome sump.

[@purplemicrodot58]

#21: Round Off the Corners of Bottom Baffles. 20/40 gal glass tanks usually have a decent bead of silicone on their seams. If you square off a baffle at 90 degrees, it will catch on those seams and leave a decent gap at the bottom that you will have to fill with silicone. Putting a slight round on the baffles bottom corners allows a solid bottom seal. Personally, I always had a glass shop cut and round baffles for me - just make sure your measurements are correct because they will.

[@BRStv]

Really great tip!

[@sdavey10]

Just saved my new sump by reading that!!

[@joshpitts25]

Luckily I work for a plastic processor and have access to tons of super cool materials and fittings and have made several successful sumps. 👍 love brstv.

[@hoon-depot]

Thank you for the silicone/acrylic thing. Most people don't know that.

[@jxj5924]

I just got my first tank (reefer 250) and i'm going with a refugium for my primary filtration. I'm coming over from freshwater planted and it just makes the most sense for me. Good tip about the heater in the return pump section. That was where i was planning on putting it lol

[@Subi_doo]

What about heat dissipation from the time it leaves the sump and makes it to the tank? Do you think putting some foam pipe insulation over the return hose will help heat loss? Will being in the sump cause the heater to run shorter intervals but cycle on and off more frequently as the sump has new water introduced at a different temperature? If it’s only heating the sump water each time, seems like it would never shut off in the colder months. I like the look of a bare tank, so I’ll run mine in my sump too but I do have concerns. Just ordered the reefer 350, but I think in winter months, I may buy a dual heater controller, put one on the sump and one in the tank just to be safe.

[@jxj5924]

@@Subi_doo the heat dissipation from the sump to the display will be negligible. Don’t worry about it. Being in the sump shouldn’t affect the cycles either. Sumps have high flow and are turning over. The temp in the sump will be the same as the tank. If anything, I expect the higher flow in reef tanks to result in better mixing and more even temperature distributions. You’re overthinking this

[@gimeurfridchiken4615]

Adding a refuge to a sump without enough compartments and the aquamesh works really well!

[@marmortischler]

Gold content!

[@jasepoag8930]

8:00 That's genius, I've got some of that laying around.

[@Matsci101]

I have a 30 gallon tank that I made into a sump with Acrylic, some pieces bent and it is over 15 yrs old. The trick is cleanliness! Be sure to clean all components with Denatured Alcohol while wearing Nitrile gloves multiple times and use a High Quality Silicone meant for Aquariums.

[@Matsci101]

Thank You for the Luv! Just trying to help out with builds!

[@Arizona9001]

Mesh for baffles is an amazing idea.

[@alexesco1521]

Nice tips

[@earlharman2040]

The smartest thing I have ever purchased was an Aquamaxx Rollermat filter. I have a diy 55 gallon sump for my 120 mixed reef. I have a weir from the main compartment between my return pump and the rest of the sump. No other baffles in the sump at all. It works great for me.

[@RobertosLife]

Where are your videos of your sump? Would love to see it

[@labryth_9178]

did the same thing with my sump, but i customized my stand with equipment racks that slide in and out

[@CopperChief]

I was setting up my 150 gallon sump. Glass baffles were really expensive so I cut a few 2x2’ tiles and used that. Worked great and cost 20$

[@Dropswitch]

I use an external sump cabinet (Sitting Bench) so I can use the tank stand for storage. The sump is extremely easy to maintain.

[@PRIMEAquarismo]

Parabéns do Brasil!

[@scottywelsh18]

The plastic moduler sumps are a good idea. They work well to be fair

[@spittys_reef1343]

Dang it...I just built a 10 gallon sump with the Fiji kit for my 29 gallon tank, lol. Looks like I'll be looking to upgrade to a 20 long at some point in the future, lol.

[@juliussatter2765]

( Custom Aquariums ) makes a great lifetime sump that's modular in many configurations. They never Fale.

[@daviddecker3739]

I wish I had this 2 weeks ago. I just finished my sump last night :p

[@matthewdawson7996]

I live in the UK & it's interesting to hear you say you wish there were more glass options available to you... Acrylic sumps are very rare here & expensive to import but we love the neatness of them & sometimes the colour coded effect you guys get using coloured pipe for the plumbing... so basically glass is pretty much our only option & we wish we had more in the way of Acrylic options, especially affordable Acrylic options

[@stevenmoomey2115]

The thing they missed is a plan on having a Flood from your sump. A rubber shower pan liner, is a good way to keep your cabinet dry. You can use grommets and post to keep it in place. Also put a bunch off 1/8” Rubber Pads under you sump, so it won’t cut through the liner. Also when you do get a flood, it is easier to rinse the liner without having to pull the sump out.

[@rogermay120]

too much water volume if you can flood it. should be able to hold all your water when power is turned off. sounds like you may need a syphon break on display.

[@stevenmoomey2115]

@@rogermay120 I do have Syphon Breaks, on Supply to Sump, and both of my returns. An Anemone somehow got past my Overflow Weir, went down the pipe. It would have been okay, because it splits, but it got right at the exit to the pipe in my sump and stopped. There is a breather there, to silence the falling water, and the water squirted out of it, LOL Till I heard the water alarm. Since I’ve installed a homemade screen, but stuff happens.

[@rogermay120]

@@stevenmoomey2115 oh man, that has to be the worse possible situation ever. Lol. Sorry to hear that and good to know that it can happen. But this is how we learn from one another. Sorry to hear that it happened. I have had 2 turbo 🐌 block both my drain pipes and overflow my display. Lol.

[@stevenmoomey2115]

@@rogermay120 Not much harm done, lost about three gallons of water. Got the Anemone to let go by rubbing it with an Ice Cube, it survived. BTW I have an Pan made with Acrylic Sheet. It’s the size of my cabinet bottom, They gave me a bunch of it at a Women’s Store, where I was servicing the AC. I was going to use the shower pan liner, till I realized I had all this Acrylic. Also the inside of my cabinet is painted with White Oil base, Topside Boat paint.

[@jayhintze2975]

Over the years of having aquariums, I went to only acrylic tanks. Glass tanks will eventually leak. I like your channel and BRS!

[@jakespeed5337]

How about Trigger configure a retrofit for their customers who spent a lot of $$ on their sumps. I have a Trigger 34 and would love a roller mat.

[@phantomkrel2374]

Using a 29 gal sump on a 40B, a 20 long is what I was gonna use however i wanted to avoid risk of overflowing my sump and I wanted more total water volume. I was dead fixed on Just filter sock, than two Refugium baffles the first one with just a little sand a live rock and some dragons tongue than the second baffle Just some crush coral and some cheato. Logic is this gives surface area for pods to thrive and breed allowing my tank to possibly support a mandarins or other picky eaters. Like you guys said I legit can’t get that sump out from under my stand since it was put in though the top I plan to move in the next 2-3 years and likely set up a even bigger tank. Far as the move goes will need a lot of 5 gallon buckets, some for rock than some for live stock than just throw away 90-95% of the sand.

[@OneMoreTank]

I use the first chamber in my diy 20 long as a moving bed reactor with K1 media overtop of a few inches of pumice (same as matrix). Not only does it provide biological filtration, but the rapid tumbling seems to help break up waste (like clumps of algae or food) into smaller pieces that are readily taken out by my skimmer in the next chamber. After that is a fuge with some red flat branch gracilaria, mostly as a novelty and to grow bio fauna. I also carbon dose which seems to pair very nicely with this setup. Nutrients are pinned at 0 despite feeding heavily. The gracilaria can handle low, intermittent nutrients. Chaeto melts completely in a matter of days!

[@cgirl111]

I use a tile cutter to cut glass instead of those hand held wheels. I found one used.

[@Boogerdick69]

Really considering adding a hob overflow box and a 10g sump to my 40 breeder. It’s the best I can fit down there

[@NinjaSushi2]

Did you ever do it? I'm about to install my overflow with a box on my 40 breeder. I got a 10g sump rated 75 to 90 gal so it'll give me some wiggle room.

[@hawkslayer2351]

i love you guys

[@migueleespinosa2632]

You can always paint a glass tank white on the bottom and 3 sides to get the best of both worlds.

[@njjeff201]

Wow. Am I dump. Learned a lot! Good thing I never bought my stuff!

[@aggzish]

Just a thought re the tank stands with front upright supports , if you take the end panel off the stand you could potentially slide a sump out the side rather than the front

[@pubwvj]

The long beams of the glass (front & back) should be plenty strong enough to support without the ten middle door frame verticals.

[@bradymxr4659]

I have removable trays each one has 100 micron filter pad that I can take out and clean. Under them is gravel like coral rock them under that is hand size coral rock. Passes through 2 baffles then pumped through mechanical, chemical and them sterilizer no problems. No skimmer cause I do water changes.

[@aliceholbert1246]

Build your own. Order black glass from local glass company, glue. Petco tank BOOM. best sump eva. Built 55g. Love it. Built to me!!!!!!!

[@carllindqvist7764]

If you just use acrylic for baffles and there's really no pressure on it silicone should work just fine. It did in my old sump.

[@smiles1969able]

they will fall apart in around 12 months bad idea

[@micro-reefsaquariums5169]

I really enjoyed this video, I fabricate my own line of sumps and refugiums for very small nano sized aquariums. I understood don't trick out so much of the sump, use the KISS method which is KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID. Makes sense to use the sump for higher volume of water, ability to hide equipment, room to have skimmer and a place to service your equipment. I also liked if going to have colors on your acrylic, choose white in the background to identify detritus, excellent information all taken and I will move with some of the ideas Ryan talked about.

[@BoY860]

On a submersible heater can you submersible the entire heater including the top where a dial is located? I have 3 500 watt heaters but they are long and id like to lay them flay on the bottom of the sump rather then see them in the display tank. But the only way they will fit is fully submerged control and all.

[@caseypeploe1273]

Forgot the company that makes them but there are sumps you can get that connect together with bulkheads there mass produced with hundreds of different sizes and designs aswell

[@jflory0207]

curious. You said #6 dont use silicone for acrylic but what do you use?

[@TheYear-dm9op]

Silicone actually bonds to the glas on a molecular level. It won't bond to acrylic or metal or anything non-silicate based nearly a well. Regarding fittin in glass walls I think you want to make then quite a bit smaller than what you measured. mabe 1 mm at each side. On top of your tip with the width of the pane you might want to gut the pane out to modify things. Then you need a blade to fit between the two glass surfaces or else it gets difficult. But even if you don't plan on gettin the pane out again i'd leave a gap, because you need to fill that gap with silicone. If the gab is to small you can't squeeze the silicone in between. If you leave a gap and squeeze the silicone in, then it will look better and it will leak less. I've actually seen this in a professional tank making video somewhere, they used spacers for all the seams and my brain was like "OOOOooooOOOoooh!"

[@doxinator3560]

I did the heater mistake. I spent 5 minutes running around in a panic trying to figure out what was burning before I figured out it was coming from the sump.

[@ranger178]

i saw a video and the guy said if you want to glue acrylic with silicone you need to sand it with 120 grit sandpaper along edges so the silicone will stick to it.

[@TonyDamazio]

3:05 I bought a brand new aquarium and they told me that they don't know why they built the stand like this but I would have to pound that center support rail out to put the stump in it too. And the stump does take up every single inch of the cabinet. So I had to get a controller board with a cabinet custom built so I could have my water reservoir and UV and whatever else there.

[@ccn5065]

I've sold the spine problem by using Removeable aluminium spine so that i can pull the sump out.

[@Jaybones2323]

My Red Sea 425 came with 2 filter socks and 2 media cups. I’m not interested in changing socks every few days. What can I replace them with? Don’t have space for roller filters.

[@adriangriffith4762]

What light is on the tank in the background ?

[@SolidworksUnlimited]

So a sump with white bottom clear sides is ideal

[@anthonyhauser3063]

Trigger systems make the best sumps I have had my ruby red for 11 years and still like new

[@forgetfulpriestiv14]

I don't know why I haven't ever seen anyone make a sump that has locking wheels. So you can just unlocked the wheels and slide out the sump to maintain it.

[@jonathanmiller7322]

What good heater doesn't turn off when it's above water?

[@TheYear-dm9op]

About cutting glass: get a high quality glass cutter. The ones from the hardware store are atrocious. This was a huge game changer for me. Also use cutting oil for glass. And ifyou can, use these parting pliers you can briefly see in the video.

[@samueltillery8612]

I have alot of experience cutting glass one of the biggest mistake cutting glass never use a sharp glass cutter. Cutting 3/16 or 1/4 inch glass the thicker the glass the duller the cutter. If you have a new cutter dip your cutter in some tipe of oil and make several cuts on top of some old glass that's still smooth. It takes the edge off of your cutter. But after several cuts on some old Glass dip it back in the oil. Then holding the cutter firmly on a straight edge using your birdy finger against the side of the cutter but not hard. If I had to guess a couple pounds of pressure. 3/8 and 1/2 inch glass make sure you use some type of oil and a dulled down cutter. Then with a good dull cutter hold good pressure down on your cutter but if your cuts are popping little shiver of glass still it's too sharp or you don't have oil on your cutter or its still too hot.

[@anthonypirrone1958]

Is there any benefit to using aqua mesh as a media in a chamber of the sump. I’m not saying as a divider. I have a bash sea sump and the 3rd chamber is just a block of aqua mesh.

[@ryanh2300]

Fiji cube sumps is everything they could ever ask for and more.

[@bradsch9711]

@@chrislanza9420 same here!

[@redneckgearheadgarage495]

Id like to add white acrylic to the bottom of my glass sump just to show the detritus and to reflect some light to the bottom of my cheato

[@zalden2565]

I have my display tank against a staircase wall and purposed the small, useless space under the stairs as a sump room. I have the 20g sump on a stand with taller wooden legs which sets inside of a deep, long plastic tote. If the worst case scenario should ever happen one day, all the water will be contained within that tote and I’ll simply use a small pump, a bucket, and some towels to clean up

[@leeverink32]

Dip your cutter in methylated spirits it cuts the glass better and its easier. To get a strait cut you can use the back of a old wood saw because there is a 45 degree angle between the handle and the blade

[@jesselove3715]

Can you edit this vid to break it into chapters? Its cool if theres a reason you cant, but it would probably take like 20 mins and help a lot of viewers out. Great content. You have a great energy, clearly know what you are talking about experientially, communicate well and have a professional video editor. Great mics, video quality... thank you... =D

[@portlandlocalchurch8168]

I have a waterfront home in a small village province of the Philippines. At low tide the reef is exposed for 1/4 mile out to sea and a great place to catch small creatures for a seasonal seawater tank at the house... Looking for a "simple" solar powered giant seawater tank setup solution using a single large sheet of clear plastic on the front of a cement built tank.. Got any ideas for a basic jungle village built filtration system?

[@geofftweedle8678]

Do you feed pods in the tank or do they feed off stuff already in the tank

[@BRStv]

You can dose phytoplankton to the tank if you wish, but they'll find food too if you don't.

[@karennation3580]

How often should you clean the sump? I have a lot of bioballs in there and moving them around I see a lot of loose particles. What is that? detritus maybe? How do you clean the sump? Should I just vacum it? How often do I clean my pump? What about return and drain lines? I feel like the flow going into the sock isnt as strong as it used to be! I don know how you can clean inside of the hoses pipes ect! Any advice? Its been running over a year with no maintenance! Speaking of heater mistakes I almost fried my tank with a sized heater for tank so now I use multiple lower wattage ones! It was a expensive expensive one too that got stuck on and I just use cheap aqueons now with no problems!

[@BRStv]

Sounds like detritus. We usually use the Sicce Ultra Zero with the Python attached. www.bulkreefsupply.com/ultra-zero-utility-pump-sicce.html For cleaning your pump, we like to use citric acid.

[@davidboner6526]

if you use aquamesh as baffles in the sump do you have to take them out and clean them??

[@BRStv]

You can remove them for cleaning if you like. Otherwise, a quick brush and siphon job will work well too 🙂

[@edersonsantos98]

Hello guys, can i use a 40 gallon sump for a 26 40 gallons fish room ? Thank you very much

[@lisafoster4468]

Mine would be don't choose a dump with baffles you can't get your hand between. It's extremely annoying to drop something into the baffle and not be able to get it out >

[@derekmaciver5630]

Should i put lights in the sump for live rock?

[@BRStv]

The only reason we would put light over our sump would be to light up a refugium section with macro algae. If you just have some rubble rock, no need for any lighting in the sump.

[@Onlyforyou51]

This might be a dumb question but I’m putting together a salt water tank, do I fill my sump with saltwater or freshwater?

[@BRStv]

You'll want to fill it with saltwater 🙂

[@johnVidBozo]

FYI, modular sump by SeamlessSump

[@scottwilson7422]

I remember seeing those on custom aquariums website

[@TimothyArmstrongamblixVR]

Wait...I have that sapphire and you left out one fact about it. It does have the filter sock plate AND a bio foam plate allowing you to do one or the other.

[@leondk2804]

Does anyone have another name for that Aquamesh? I can't find it anywhere where I'm from. not even on Amazon

[@tylerneal5390]

I have a hang on over Flow box what kind of sump do i need and parts for it? My tank is a 75 gallon undrilled glass tank which is why i went with hang on overflow.

[@BRStv]

Just about any sump that will fit under your tank will work. Trigger makes some awesome sumps. Their 26" sumps would work well for most 75 gallon systems. As far as parts go, you should really only need some PVC, maybe a couple of elbow fittings, and some PVC primer/glue to put it all together. www.bulkreefsupply.com/sapphire-sump-26-trigger-systems.html

[@tylerneal5390]

@@BRStv Thanks cause if i dont have to drill my tank i really dont want to. Are the tigger systems afford able? is there any Dry live rock that comes purple colored day 1?

[@badmotherhumper]

I'm setting up my first sump in a freshwater 54 corner tank with a 10 gal diy sump, 1/2 pvc hard-lined in and out 800 gph (rated) pump. trying to use holes and a drain ball cock to get my flow right. I'm sure I'm going about it the wrong way. how do I set it to just run? is there a float switch for the pump I can buy? or better fix?

[@BRStv]

If you're using two drain holes, look up "herbie style drain." That'll most likely be your best bet.

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

Can I use a spare 20 gallon as a sump? I want a 10 gallon frag tank.

[@BRStv]

You bet! You can make custom baffles, or if it's a 20Long, there are also baffle kits that you can use. www.bulkreefsupply.com/20-gallon-standard-sump-baffle-kit-fiji-cube.html

[@silitekmodder5681]

Another thing, don't throw your media from your old canister filter in and assume it's still cycled, I did this and it was fine for a while, but when I moved some things around it caused a brief ammonia spike which caused one of my goldfish to die. Also I think that filter sock/roller mat/ etc is a bad design, it should be coarse foam pad -> fine foam pad -> Fine particle filter -> Biomedia

[@camryds]

I cannot believe this awesome channel ONLY has 235k subs -- everyone that watches these guys need to subscribe. they have awesome information and incredible knowledge!!!

[@unmeaninglessly143]

Or... diy a glass/acrylic baffle that can be stuck with suction cups

[@ulrichsd]

Do you have to clean the aquamesh often? Wouldn't it collect gunk and get dirty quickly?

[@migueleespinosa2632]

But you can siphon it clean easily.

[@noobguymatt]

You have to sand the aqrilique befor you can glue it to glass or somthing els

[@mxr248]

Untrue with silicone bonding glass and acrylic! I made acrylic overflows for my glass aquarium and siliconed them in 10years ago.

[@jacobt1045]

2:45 Them trying to give subliminal messages to the people who make sumps.

[@russellkeith3193]

Where can i get this aqua mesh from thx you

[@BRStv]

Here you go 🙂 www.bulkreefsupply.com/search?w=aquamesh

[@MosBronco]

Lowes carries glass and they will cut it for free. just call ahead.

[@SintoJoseph]

How to decide the size of the sump?

[@BRStv]

What I would suggest is to first pick out your equipment for you new tank. From there, you'll be better able to pick out a sump that is large enough to house that equipment.

[@sophialeigh3010]

I am putting 1 cup of pure rock salt after i do a 50% water change in my 50 gallon tank, will the salt kill the beneficial bacteria in my sump?

[@BRStv]

Hmm, assuming you're using a salt mix to mix up your fresh saltwater, adding rock salt shouldn't be necessary. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question.

[@TheGreenDudde]

u don’t have to cut any glass just by picture frames u can find almost any size and it wayyy cheaper and if u do want or have to cut the glass picture frame glass is a lot easier

[@frysniper]

Is it the same thickness of glass then? Like if I go to hobby lobby and have them cut me pieces will that work?

[@TheGreenDudde]

@@frysniper that depends on low large and how big for filter media and how heavy it is

[@connork1390]

What are those things in the bottom of the fuge section that almost look like white bricks?

[@brandonmms]

marine pure bricks by brightwell aquatics

[@BRStv]

Those are Marine Pure bio media plates 🙂 www.bulkreefsupply.com/marinepure-ceramic-biomedia-plate.html

[@truereefkeeping6022]

The finnex 500 watt heater dosent fit in my sump unfortunately so I have to have my heater in my tank, but at least I don’t have to worry about it running dry, also since I got the apex I have noticed my sump runs a little colder/hotter than my tank so I would rather keep my tank temperature the same rather than my sump anyway, I have the trigger systems crystal sump 30 and it’s super easy to see anything that’s happening inside my sump, I just wish trigger systems Would have designed it to have a movable baffle for of course that’s only on their more expensive items even though the crystal some 30 in my opinion is already very expensive, also where did you get your sump? The white one you showed

[@BRStv]

The white sump that I believe you're referring to is an old Vertex sump. Unfortunately, Vertex is no longer in business, so they're no longer being made.

[@truereefkeeping6022]

@@BRStv well that sucks it was a beautiful sump

[@williamwiese9963]

Is there a technical hotline I can call? I have a new sump that came with my 120 gallon reef tank and I'm kinda puzzled and want to chat with the PROS

[@dr.vinnyboombatz22]

Just get a tank like a Red Sea Reefer that comes with one built in. Also solves your Refugium and ATO issues. And you don't have to worry about your stand handling added on weight that it wasn't designed for.

[@keithwicks9103]

Why waste hundreds on a prebuilt one when you can build the same thing for like $50

[@dr.vinnyboombatz22]

@@keithwicks9103 If you're looking to save a mere $50 in this hobby you probably shouldn't be in it. You get what you pay for.

[@keithwicks9103]

@@dr.vinnyboombatz22 dude have you seen the prices of those sumps? It’s way more than saving $50. While we are being condescending, if you can’t DIY a sump, you probably shouldn’t be in this hobby. Edit: it’s literally a glass box with dividers. What do you mean you get what you pay for? Lol

[@dr.vinnyboombatz22]

@@keithwicks9103 Because I'm not trusting some DIY'er who thinks they're Mc Guyver with a system I've already invested over $15K + into. You can poo-poo it all you want. If it was as simple as you make it sound these companies wouldn't be producing them, and customers wouldn't be buying them. Stock up on Flex Seal tape!

[@keithwicks9103]

@@dr.vinnyboombatz22 I built my 90 gallon tank 12 years ago. I converted it into a sump for my 180 6 years ago. It’s held water longer than both of my marine land tanks I bought. Companies make money because people like you are lazy. I’ve also never bought a stand (other than materials to build it obviously). There is no reason to pay for a sump or a stand when both are incredibly easy and incredibly cheaper and perform the same function.

[@AydenDevonny]

LOL I already failed. I did the number two mistake and now everytime I need to take the sump out or put the sump in I have to remove the doors of my cabinet 😂. There’s no space down there whatsoever. Should have built up instead of out.

[@ShitboxFlyer]

Would a 20 gallon long sump be too overkill for a 40 breeder?

[@BRStv]

Not at all. It would be a good size tank to use for a DIY 40 breeder sump!